Woman refused service for wearing ‘Black Lives Matter’ shirt at Tenn. farmers market
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http://wncn.com/2016/07/14/woman-refused-service-for-wearing-black-lives-matter-shirt-at-tenn-farmers-market/'
VERGNE, Tenn. (WKRN) – A civil rights activist says it was like turning back the hands of time when a woman was refused service at a city sponsored farmers market.
All the woman wanted was some fresh fruit and vegetables, but what she got from one vendor instead was a refusal to sell produce.
The woman was wearing a “Black Lives Matter” T-shirt.
City officials stepped in and forced the vendor to leave, but the civil rights activist may call for a boycott of the farmers market.
The incident happened with a worker with Turner & Sons Produce and Nursery in Smithville.
“With everything going on in the world today with all the racism, killings and discrimination, I was appalled,” said La Vergne resident Gwen Anthony, who is also an activist with the National Action Network, a civil rights organization. She was not the woman refused service.
Anthony said she couldn’t believe if she was hearing correctly when she heard what happened.
“I can’t believe– here we go again, we are going back,” she said.
Anthony said it was like turning back the hands of time.
“Are we still going through the same thing we went through back in the 60s?” Anthony asked. “We are not going back; we are going forward. People need to get with the times.”
La Vergne city officials confirm the incident happened.
“The City of La Vergne was made aware after the incident. The City does not tolerate discrimination of any kind, and all people are welcome,” a City spokesperson said
The vendor was asked to leave and told they would no longer be welcomed. It was also the vendor’s first time at the market.
The city wrote on their Facebook page:
Yesterday at the weekly La Vergne Farmer’s Market, a vendor refused sale to a potential customer because of a t-shirt the customer was wearing. The T-shirt was not obscene or profane, and the vendor was severely out of line to refuse service. The City of La Vergne was made aware after the incident — the City does not tolerate discrimination of any kind, and all people are welcome. Despite the vendors apology this vendor will not be welcome at future Farmer’s Market events. We are grateful to the customer for alerting us to this episode, and to the other Farmer’s Market vendors who have conducted themselves with the utmost professionalism.
Nashville, Tennessee’s News 2 reached out to the Smithville-based Turner & Sons Nursery, and the younger John Turner said by phone, “A lady approached and asked the price of my produce and then I told her the price then refused service because I seen she was wearing a shirt supporting an organization that has been protesting in a way that I thought was hazardous to our society.”
He later apologized to both the woman and the city, but that’s not good enough for Anthony.
She’s considering asking people to boycott the farmers market.
“It’s best for us to stay away, and we won’t have no problems,” Anthony said.
News 2 attempted to reach out to the woman who was refused service, but were not able to contact her.
Comments
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dumb ?
even if I did hate somebody that bad, I'd enjoy taking their money just cuz
what are you doin for your cause by hoarding cucumbers? -
SMH... not too far from me
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We all can swe they don't like us to stand up for ourselves
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so they got a farmer's market with city officials on deck to make the vendors leave? Something sounds odd about that ? ...And if you had no issues with other vendors then why boycott and stay away from the farmer's market? Let's just make sure that we boycott and don't spend another dime with Turner & Sons Nursery. I'm assuming you got some black vendors out there as well. So don't ? up there business by telling folks to stay away completely. Just ? up the racist spot's money.
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once again we are not supposed to exercise our rights BLM has not engaged in violence themselves (that I know of) they and their supports have the right to protest. Can black folks refuse service to cacs that wear confederate flag shirts? Since usually those that fly that flag are hazardous to society
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Black_Samson wrote: »so they got a farmer's market with city officials on deck to make the vendors leave? Something sounds odd about that ? ...And if you had no issues with other vendors then why boycott and stay away from the farmer's market? Let's just make sure that we boycott and don't spend another dime with Turner & Sons Nursery. I'm assuming you got some black vendors out there as well. So don't ? up there business by telling folks to stay away completely. Just ? up the racist spot's money.
Bruh you serious.
Feds been pushing to get rid of farmers markets and the city governments of course they gon have them there.
word? why? they like big business here in KY
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Black_Samson wrote: »so they got a farmer's market with city officials on deck to make the vendors leave? Something sounds odd about that ? ...And if you had no issues with other vendors then why boycott and stay away from the farmer's market? Let's just make sure that we boycott and don't spend another dime with Turner & Sons Nursery. I'm assuming you got some black vendors out there as well. So don't ? up there business by telling folks to stay away completely. Just ? up the racist spot's money.
Bruh you serious.
Feds been pushing to get rid of farmers markets and the city governments of course they gon have them there.
word? why? they like big business here in KY
feds dont make money off that tho -
Im deep off in these streets
I'm tryin' to feel my nuts
And later on I'ma try to skeet it on her butt...her butt -
Could I? Would I? Should I break em?
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City officials stepped in and forced the vendor to leave, but the civil rights activist may call for a boycott of the farmers market.
Sorry for the lack of compassion but the law stepped in and worked for you. What more do you want? Problem solved and that should be the end of it unless I missed something.
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City officials stepped in and forced the vendor to leave, but the civil rights activist may call for a boycott of the farmers market.
Sorry for the lack of compassion but the law stepped in and worked for you. What more do you want? Problem solved and that should be the end of it unless I missed something.
Her wanting to boycott is attention ? at its finest. They got rid of the problem. That's the only way i can see it with this info. -
Not surprised. BLM has gotten a pretty bad reputation both for fair and unfair reasons.
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Ol produce matters ass as if green doesn't.
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Why do black people call themselves getting offended every time a racist white supremacist doesn't want to take their money? Seems to me this is cause start a black farmers market.
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Maximus Rex wrote: »Why do black people call themselves getting offended every time a racist white supremacist doesn't want to take their money? Seems to me this is cause start a black farmers market.
That's not as easy as it sounds, but overall I agree with what you're saying. -
Maximus Rex wrote: »Why do black people call themselves getting offended every time a racist white supremacist doesn't want to take their money? Seems to me this is cause start a black farmers market.
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Tennessee......
Nuff said. -
The Lonious Monk wrote: »Maximus Rex wrote: »Why do black people call themselves getting offended every time a racist white supremacist doesn't want to take their money? Seems to me this is cause start a black farmers market.
That's not as easy as it sounds, but overall I agree with what you're saying.
Not everything is meant to be easy though, especially change. -
once again we are not supposed to exercise our rights BLM has not engaged in violence themselves (that I know of) they and their supports have the right to protest. Can black folks refuse service to cacs that wear confederate flag shirts? Since usually those that fly that flag are hazardous to society
Depends on the state to some extent, but i'll say the answer is no. The civil rights act of 1964 explicitly prohibits most basic forms of discrimination, but it generally protects you from arbitrary discrimination too, like wearing a shirt someone disagrees with.
Hence why her ass got booted from the venue. No one wants a civil rights lawsuit on their ass.
There are some nuances to it though, hence why a club or bar, or your work place can have a dress code, even though its discriminatory on a certain style of dress. Your work place dress code for instance, has to be modified if need be, to fit other employees religious dress codes.
This type of stuff usually isnt universally stressed though. Hence why that bar in Oklahoma somewhere wont let you in if youre black, asian, jewish, crippled, ? , etc.. If youre not a straight white male or female that isnt crippled, you cant go in the bar. It made news because a white dude that visited their regularly, who got into an accident and was in a wheelchair, was told to get the ? outta here when he tried to wheel his ass into the bar.
This guy is blatantly violating federal law, and no one bats an eye, cause ? it, we white, we fine. Just dont eat there, and keep it moving is the mind state they have.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/02/07/garys-chicaros-oklahoma-restaurant-serve-? _n_4746095.html -
Black_Samson wrote: »so they got a farmer's market with city officials on deck to make the vendors leave? Something sounds odd about that ? ...And if you had no issues with other vendors then why boycott and stay away from the farmer's market? Let's just make sure that we boycott and don't spend another dime with Turner & Sons Nursery. I'm assuming you got some black vendors out there as well. So don't ? up there business by telling folks to stay away completely. Just ? up the racist spot's money.
Bruh you serious.
Feds been pushing to get rid of farmers markets and the city governments of course they gon have them there.
man i used to sell bootlegs at various farmers/flea markets in the DC area...ain't never seen any city official in my life -
maybe this one is run by the city